# Project WD1 — West Desert Test Center

**Program element:** 0605601A — Army Test Ranges and Facilities  
**Project:** WD1  
**Component:** U.S. Army  
**Appropriation:** 2040 — RDT&E, Army  
**Budget Activity:** 6 — RDT&E Management Support  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605601A/WD1  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605601A

## Summary

Project WD1 — West Desert Test Center requests $7.5M in FY2027, 1.6% of the $469.7M requested for program element 0605601A, down 85% on FY2026. 4 R-2A activities decompose the request.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 63.4 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 50.1 |
| FY2027 | Request | 7.5 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 7.5 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 7.5 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 7.6 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 7.7 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0605601A; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project WD1 buys

This project provides funding for the West Desert Test Center (WDTC) and U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Chemical Biological Center (CBC) Bio-Testing Division (BTD-CBC) MRTFB institutional technical and operational capability for testing DoW Chemical and Biological (CB) and Non-Traditional Agent (NTA) defense materiel, equipment, and systems from concept through production to include associated special operations Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures Development (TTPD) activities. Efforts included in this project are: (1) BTD-CBC: Beginning in FY25, the BTD-CBC name changed to DEVCOM CBC Dugway. This effort sustains a critical Test and Evaluation (T&E) resource essential to fulfilling the 2021 Army Biological Defense Strategy's purpose: "to maintain the Army's capability and capacity to accomplish its mission and ensure readiness in the face of biological threats and hazards, in support of the Department of War (DoW) and the Nation." By preserving this T&E resource, the Army and DoW are better prepared to address the challenges of operating effectively in biologically contested environments, ensuring mission success and safeguarding national security. (2) WDTC: Beginning in FY27, the WDTC funding moved from the WD1 project code to the F30 project code. Together WDTC and DEVCOM CBC Dugway are the reliance centers for all DoW CB defense testing and provide the United States' only combined range, chamber, toxic chemical lab, and bio-safety level 3 Biological Select Agent and Toxin (BSAT) aerosol test capability. This project funds the institutional and overhead costs to operate WDTC and DEVCOM CBC Dugway in compliance with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY03 (Public Law 107-314), Section 232, "Objective for institutional funding of test and evaluation facilities." Those costs that are directly attributable to the use of WDTC and DEVCOM CBC Dugway for testing and TTPD activities under a particular program, over and above the institutional and overhead costs, are billed to the program.

## Activities (R-2A) — 4

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BioTesting Division (BTD-CBC) - MRTFB | 7.2 | 7.4 | 7.5 | +1% | — |
| WDTC, MRTFB Civilian Pay | 28.3 | 23.7 | — | −100% | — |
| WDTC, MRTFB Mission Support | 12.9 | 10.7 | — | −100% | — |
| WDTC, MRTFB Contractor Support | 10.1 | 8.3 | — | −100% | — |

> Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. In the request year they partition this project exactly; in earlier years they can under-cover it.

### BioTesting Division (BTD-CBC) - MRTFB

**FY2027 planned work.** Will provide for on-going operational readiness of existing T&E capabilities enabling the Army and DoW Chemical Biological Defense Program (CBDP) mission. Will provide for the institutional Government civilian labor overhead costs and maintain core T&E skills as part of the MRTFB Government civilian workforce. Will purchase contract labor performing mission-support functions. Will provide risk management for bio-safety and bio-security, personnel security, biological laboratory operations, and physical security intrusion detection systems to retain BSAT use authorities for conducting developmental and operational testing. Will acquire service contracts for T&E equipment maintenance, diagnostics, calibration, and certification; aerosol chamber maintenance; purchase information technology equipment and support services; and replace T&E, analytical, and administrative equipment, instruments, and components. Will fund test facility maintenance; transportation; postage; purchase of consumable laboratory and administrative supplies; tools; required software; critical spare parts; travel; training; printing, reproduction, and communications. Will continue to support indirect costs not chargeable to MRTFB users in compliance with DoDI 3200.18 and DoW FMR 7000.14-R.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Funding increase is an economic adjustment.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Will provide for on-going operational readiness of existing T&E capabilities enabling the Army and DoW Chemical Biological Defense Program (CBDP) mission. Will provide for the institutional Government civilian labor overhead costs and maintain core T&E skills as part of the MRTFB Government civilian workforce. Will purchase contracted labor performing mission support functions. Will provide for bio-safety risk management, personnel security, laboratory operations, and physical security intrusion detection systems to retain BSAT use authorities for conducting developmental and operational testing. Will acquire service contracts for T&E equipment maintenance, diagnostics, calibration, and certification; aerosol chamber maintenance; acquire information technology equipment and support services; and replace T&E and administrative equipment and analytical instrumentation components. Will finance test facility maintenance; transportation; postage; purchase of consumable laboratory and administrative supplies; tools; required software; critical spare parts; travel; training; printing, reproduction, and communications. Will continue to support indirect costs not chargeable to MRTFB users in compliance with DoDI 3200.18 and DoW FMR 7000.14-R.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** Provided for the institutional civilian labor to maintain core T&E skills as part of the MRTFB Government civilian workforce supporting the CBDP mission. Funded sustainment of existing biological test instrumentation and equipment at BTD-CBC necessary for the safe operation of BSL 1/2/3 biological laboratories and chambers, biological field and simulant chambers, bio- safety risk management, and contractor labor. Paid for annual service contracts for test equipment operations, diagnostics, calibration, and certification, as well as routine life cycle and use-related replacement of existing lab, field, T&E related administrative, and analytical instrumentation components and equipment. Financed test facility maintenance, transportation, postage, laboratory and administrative supplies, tools, software, spare parts, temporary duty/training of civilian personnel, personnel certifications, printing, reproduction, and communications. Continued to support indirect costs not chargeable to MRTFB users in compliance with DoDI 3200.18 and DoD FMR 7000.14-R.

### WDTC, MRTFB Civilian Pay

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Beginning in FY27, the WDTC funding moved from the WD1 project code to the F30 project code.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Funds will support overhead costs of civilian labor for PBG authorizations, and the balance will be customer funded. Test customers will continue to pay all costs directly attributable to the use of a test facility or resource for testing of a particular program. Funding will remain essential to maintain core T&E skills as part of the Government civilian workforce used in support of the CBDP mission. WDTC will continue to provide a specially trained support staff to operate and maintain all critical testing systems.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** Funds will support overhead costs of civilian labor for PBG authorizations, and the balance will be customer funded. Test customers will continue to pay all costs directly attributable to the use of a test facility or resource for testing of a particular program. Funding will remain essential to maintain core T&E skills as part of the Government civilian workforce used in support of the CBDP mission. WDTC will continue to provide a specially trained support staff to operate and maintain all critical testing systems.

### WDTC, MRTFB Mission Support

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Beginning in FY27, the WDTC funding moved from the WD1 project code to the F30 project code.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Funds will provide sustainment of existing test instrumentation and equipment at WDTC in support of operations to maintain mission readiness of chemical laboratories, chemical/biological field and simulant chamber capabilities of test data and staff functions not chargeable to a test customer. Support annual service contracts for equipment operation, diagnostics, and calibration, as well as a routine life cycle and use-related replacement of existing field, administrative, and analytical instrumentation components, and systems. Support test facility maintenance, handling, and disposal of hazardous materials, transportation, postage, administrative supplies, tools, software, spare parts, mission unique installation costs, temporary duty/ training of civilian and contractor personnel, certifications, printing, reproduction, and communications. Funds will continue to support indirect costs for MRTFB IAW DoDI 3200.18 and DoW FMR 7000.14-R.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** Funds will provide sustainment of existing test instrumentation and equipment at WDTC in support of operations to maintain mission readiness of chemical laboratories, chemical/biological field and simulant chamber capabilities of test data and staff functions not chargeable to a test customer. Support annual service contracts for equipment operation, diagnostics, and calibration, as well as a routine life cycle and use-related replacement of existing field, administrative, and analytical instrumentation components, and systems. Support test facility maintenance, handling, and disposal of hazardous materials, transportation, postage, administrative supplies, tools, software, spare parts, mission unique installation costs, temporary duty/ training of civilian and contractor personnel, certifications, printing, reproduction, and communications. Funds will continue to support indirect costs for MRTFB IAW DoDI 3200.18 and DoD FMR 7000.14-R.

### WDTC, MRTFB Contractor Support

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Beginning in FY27, the WDTC funding moved from the WD1 project code to the F30 project code.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Funds will support contractor labor costs not billable to test customers. Contract labor is essential to augment core civilian T&E personnel with additional subject matter expertise, capabilities and/or capacity. Functions performed will include chemical and biological analysis, test field support, planning, and test report documentation as well as range operations, warehousing support, project management support, recurring/general maintenance to test facilities and data acquisition support.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** Funds will support contractor labor costs not billable to test customers. Contract labor is essential to augment core civilian T&E personnel with additional subject matter expertise, capabilities and/or capacity. Functions performed will include chemical and biological analysis, test field support, planning, and test report documentation as well as range operations, warehousing support, project management support, recurring/general maintenance to test facilities and data acquisition support.

## What is NOT on this page

Congressional marks, the R-2 mission description and acquisition strategy, the industry vs government split of the whole request, and related program elements are recorded at **program-element** grain — an NDAA mark lands on a PE, never on a project. They are at https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605601A.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0605601A project WD1 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0605601A")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*